Mountain Rain

It was a fun trek planned with my friends. Idea was to trek to the top of Nagala range in eastern ghats in India on a weekend after long working hours of the week. I had not taken my camera out for few weeks now. I was fully charged up for some landscape photos. But there is always a mystery associated with landscape photography about the light and the terrain and weather conditions. It always keeps me bothering about the result. May be that’s the fun part I love about landscape photography.

It was a long full day trek to the top of the mountains. We had almost trekked for 20 Kms with full steep slopes. Carrying the camera and tripod with the hope of photographing the sun set. 

We took rest in between and as the group had breaks I still kept moving around to find the right vantage point to capture the mountain ranges extending towards the horizon. But was in vain and I knew I had to climb more. We kept walking and by the time it was 5 PM we had reached at almost the top on the mountain.

The view was breath taking with cold wind refreshing from one side of the mountain. Immediately I sensed the possibility of rain. But the sky was clear. Before my thoughts about rain vanished from my mind, the dark clouds rolled in from no where and as I looked towards the other side, it was heavy down pour of rain. I was thrilled, sun was shining in one direction and other direction the heavy rains were fast approaching us. I quickly pulled out my camera, set the aperture put on the tripod and click, click , click before I could make the fourth shot the rain had fast approached us and showered on us. 

I knew I made the shot of the day. Happily packed up the camera and we all had a nice refreshing rain bath. Then we put up the tent had nice camp fire , had dinner and slept under the stars.

Although I had taken this photo 4 years back, I still keep thinking what if I had missed the setting on my camera on that day. What made me use the right setting in a split of a second. And I found my answer when I read about serendipity explained by Jim Brandenburg. I quote it here as told by Jim himself

"Serendipity is a wonderful word in the English language. It means happy coincidence, or a lucky, unexpected moment. This is essential to photography, but not without preparation. There are Japanese traditions involved in preparing: you study, then study, then study some more. You prepare mentally for years and years, so when the special moment comes, your instincts take over and it happens naturally. It's the same with cameras and other equipment: when the magic moment comes, you are ready to capture it instantly. You have visual language that you have studied for many, many years. You are familiar with the equipment, so it comes as second nature, like an extension of your fingers. I think that this is crucial. It's the same principal as practicing the violin. So many people think photography is easy: just pick up the camera and take a picture. But like the violin, you must practice photography for 30 years or more before you truly do it well."

After I read this, it became my guiding principle when ever I go out on a shoot. And I believe my photographs have started reflecting it.